Beater



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WOOD LEADBEATER, OF LEEDS, ENGLAND.

COMBUSTIBLE COMPOUND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 622,374, dated April-4,1899. Application filed November 18, 1897. Serial No. 659,008. (Nospecimens.)

ToaZZ whom it may concern: Be it known that 1, JOHN WOOD LEAD BEATER,engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residingat Banstead Grove, Rouudhay road, Leeds, in the county of York, England,have invented an Improved, Combustible, Compound, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention has reference to a mode of bringing petroleum-that is tosay,any known or available mineral oilsinto a marketable form as acombustible other than in the ordinary liquid form; and it has for itsobject the manufacture of an insoluble compound-hav ing the essentialquality of not melting and runningdu ring combustion, which compound maybe in a condition hard enough to be handled and transported by rail,ship, or otherwise without danger and in a condition suitable for use asa combustible, or it may be in a condition somewhat approaching that ofa fluid for mixing with other material along with which it is to act asacombustible.

I carry out my object as follows: I take a suitable quantity ofpetroleum, which may be crude or otherwise, (any mineral oil, residue,or refuse-for instance, astatki will do,) and Iadd thereto a smallproportion of animal or vegetable stearin-that is to say, a solid fat orsolid fatty acid-resin, lime, and sawdust, (or other similar absorbent,)thoroughly mixing the whole with the application of as little heat aspossible in order to minimize the evaporation of volatile matter. Thesaid materials are hereinafter referred to shortly as stearin, resin,lime, and sawdust.

The proportions, which will vary according to circumstances, may be, forexample, approximately as follows: To every one hundred and twenty-eightparts, by weight, of petroleum I add one part of animal or vegetablestearin, twelve parts of resin, eight parts of unslaked lime, and eightparts of sawdust, (preferably of a light and absorbent nature.)

The. mode of mixing is preferably as follows: I first melt the stearinand the resin to- 'gether in the same vessel, preferably in asteam-jacketed pan heated by low-pressure steam, using only the amountof heat necessary to melt the stearin and resin. (If desired r to thinthe mixture, a little of the petroleum may be added at this stage,taking care to use as little heat as possible.) I mix the lime and thesawdust together, and I add them to and stir them in the petroleum,which, standing in its independent vessel, is of course cold,

pan, agitating the whole thoroughly to insure a proper admixture. Aftera short time a reaction will be noticed, accompanied by a risin g of themixture and a considerable increase of the temperature.

So far as I have been able to ascertain the action of the severalingredients is as follows: The sawdust not only serves as a combustible,but forms the main vehicle for absorbing the petroleum and mechanicallyholding itin suspension. The stearin and the resin melted together areready to set up a saponifying action as soon as the lime is added, andthese three assist in producing an insoluble result, (which, forinstance,,soda will not do.) As the mixing takes place after the sawdusthas been saturated with petroleum, the saponification resulting afterthe mixing mechanically closes up andseals the oil in the sawdust, andin this way the maximum amount of petroleum is dealt with. The waternecessary for initiating the saponification is supplied by the dry rawmaterials, so called in the ordinary sense, used for the manufacture ofthe material,and above all by the sawdust,(wood,) which is preferablyused in an entirely airdried state, but still containing at least tenper cent. latent water and which parts with the moisture only on beingmoderately heated. Also the mineral oil contains in most cases somedampness, so that the technically dry materials contain the quantity ofmoisture necessary for the initiation of the reaction. The addition ofwater is therefore unnecessary and even injurious, as it tends to leavethe finished product in a damp state and renders it soluble duringcombustion.

The resulting compound is insoluble, and when cold is a fairlyhardwaterproof sub stance; but if a harder or softer one be de sired itmaybe made by using a difierent per centage of the ingredients. Itherefore do not limit myself to the exact proportions of the variousingredients hereinbefore given.

This compound when prepared of the necessary stiffness and allowed toset hard may in the form of cakes or the like he handled, stored inheaps, and transported without danger in any suitable quantity or bulk,and it may after pulverization or division be used in that state as afuel either in combination with other combustible matter or alone; orthe ingredients may be proportioned so that the product when cold is ina state somewhat approaching that of a fluid, but which will set orpractically set when mixed with other combustible materials. Thisadmixture with other combustible materials may either take placeimmediately while the compound is still warm or at a remoter period whencold. The compound may be used as an enricher or as an assistant to anotherwise sluggish combustible when waste products of little calorificvalue are to be consumed, and in this latter way towns refuse, driedsewage sludge, and the like may be utilized in conjunction with thecompound.

I make no general claim for treating petroleum with a view ofsolidifying or gelatinizing it, as my sole aim has been the introductionof a simple, inexpensive, and rapid mode of preparing a petroleumcompound for use as certained the nature of my said invention and inwhat manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claimis- 1. An insoluble combustible compound consisting of a mixture ofpetroleum, stearin, resin, lime and sawdust.

2. An insoluble combustible compound consisting of a mixture ofpetroleum, stearin, resin, lime and sawdust in approximately thefollowing proportions by weight, to Wit: one hundred and twenty-eightparts of petroleum, one part stearin, twelve parts of resin, eight partsof lime and eight parts of sawdust.

3. The process of preparing an insoluble combustible compound, saidprocess consisting in melting stearin and resin together, adding theretolime, sawdust and petroleum, and then agitating the mass.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN WOOD LEADBEATER.

Vitnesses:

WILLIAM SNowDoN, ARTHUR SAMUEL RICKARDS.

